Tourism spend breaks records in November

Tourist spend smashed records last month rising a massive 41 per cent as Asian shoppers took full advantage of the weak pound.

New figures from Global Blue have found that Chinese visitor spend was up by 63 per cent, as they continue to flock to the UK to shop. Despite Chinese shoppers accounting for a quarter of total tourist spend, Taiwanese visitors increased their spend by 160 per cent over November.

Hong Kong shoppers trailed closely with a 127 per cent increase in spend and US shoppers came behind them at 88 per cent.

“The Christmas period is an incredibly important time for UK retailers,” Global Blue UK managing director Gordon Clark said.

“We expect to see an influx of tourists both pr-e and post-Christmas, as international shoppers buy unique British luxury goods to take home as presents. December 2015 saw a worrying 7% decrease, but this year is on track to deliver incredible results, given the current trading environment working in international visitors‘ favour.”